Turning over a new leaf by Shawna

Turning over a new leaf by Shawna - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

Attending a university was always a goal in my life that was filled with self doubt and questions. All throughout high school I had poor grades. I had convinced myself that I was trying to achieve academic success but was not able to accomplish this goal due to my lack of knowledge. I assumed I was not capable of being that student who complained about their A- while I was proud of receiving a C+. This is how I perceived myself, and I was content with my academics. I ended up graduating high school with a 2.6 grade point average, and I mistakenly accepted the idea that this number defined my overall intelligence.

The problem with how I handled my high school education is that I had undesired characteristics that I believed to be static. After my first semester in high school, I thought nothing of my low GPA. Throughout all four years, my grades continued in this pattern and I was satisfied with them. I figured it was inevitable that my lack of intelligence would limit my ability to academically succeed. I built this perception of myself by letting numbers, peers, friends, and family define my knowledge. I began to think things such as: “This is just who I am” and “I can’t improve my grades”. I made the mistake of interpreting my lack of resilience as a characteristic that I was predisposed to obtain. I provided myself with excuses such as loosing the lottery of birth or receiving bad genetics. At that time, what I did not realize was that my resilience was malleable. If I would have understood this concept, I could have enhanced my perception by viewing myself in the same light as the successful students that I admired. This switch of awareness would have given me more confidence to work hard and obtain the characteristics that I desired, also known as turning over a new leaf. Once I realized that perception is key, I was able to achieve what my previous self would consider impossible, academic triumph.

The idea of resilience was first introduced to me after research on three important scholars that have changed my life. James Heckman, Carol Dweck, and Angelina Duckworth all added to the new values that I live by today. They taught me that Grit (Angelina Duckworth), Resilience (Carol Dweck), and non-cognitive skills (James Hickman) are all the keys to success.

During the summer before I started college, I got lectured many times by my parents about how I was not ready for college. They would try to convince me to go to a community college or find something else to do besides pre-medicine. They said that they didn’t want me to go because I would be in debt and they were not confident in me graduating, and therefore collage would be a waste of money. This discouraged me, so I began second thinking everything. When I figured out they were putting new perceptions in my head, I immediately stopped myself from believing them to be true. I remembered what I had learned from the previous scholars mentioned. I decided to ignore their opinions and continue with my dreams.

I am now finishing up my first year with a 3.92 GPA. The best advice I have ever been given was that high school grades and past perception that people have do not define them, and that academic success is dependent on grit, resilience, and non-cognitive skills.

This accomplishment has changed me as a person in many ways. I have discovered that there will always be room for improvement. After learning this, I am constantly going to keep looking for opportunities to better myself. My academic success was so meaningful to me because college was always something that I used to be worried about. Now I am able to enjoy the experience and forget the past negative perceptions that I have had about myself. The moment of realizing that I can be successful and that my future is in my hands made me feel in control of my own life, which I believe now, is a very important trait for a person to possess.